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EUmaggedon.

by Anna Raccoon on July 4, 2016

And with a flick of my wrist, I have just dumped the third post I have tried to write this morning. I can type fast, but not fast enough to keep up with the resignations amongst those we elected to lead our country.

Firing Exocets into the bowels of Juncker’s bunker and then running away before he staggers out of the ruins to see whose calling card was on it seems to be becoming a national hobby.

How is it that we can send a man to the moon, a space rocket to Jupiter, but we can’t throw up a single person amongst the 650 people we elected to represent us in Parliament that is able or willing to actually lead the country with any credibility?

They are such a desultory shower.

Corbyn, whose minders have locked him in a darkened room to lie down until the Chilcot report on Wednesday, lest someone convince him he’s had enough and doesn’t want to stand up in Parliament and denounce Blair as a ‘war criminal’.

Watson, such an ineffectual Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, that Diane Abbott can stand between him and her past squeeze, and refuse him permission to talk to his leader…

A Shadow Cabinet comprised of elderly duffers like the 81 year old Paul Flynn, who describes his current role of Shadow Secretary for Wales and Shadow Leader of the House as like being ‘in the middle of Greek Tragedy when the outcome is unknown, bad things are happening but no-one knows who is writing the script.’ He believes that his appointment will lead to an ‘all-octogenarian shortlist’ for the front bench….God Help Us!

The people this joke team should be holding to account are no better.

Cameron couldn’t run out on us fast enough once the Referendum vote was in; despite the fact that he is still Prime Minister, he has not deigned to speak to the people of the country he was so ‘proud to lead’ once since EUmaggedon was unleashed. He spoke to a few journalists in Downing Street, that’s it. Where is the ‘Harold Wilson type’ interview from him in his study, speaking eyeball to eyeball with the people of this country? Has he been locked in a darkened room too?

Theresa May, or then again she may not – such an old joke, but never more true than now. She’s been hiding behind the sofa since this started – and only emerged, dressed as the reincarnation of Sir Nicholas Fairbairn (remember him?) to inform us that she only supported Remain because she thought it was the right thing to do, and now she thought the right thing to do was to be PM and get us out of the EU, or a little bit out, or maybe a bit more in than out, but possibly more out than in, it all depended on what she thought was the right thing to do when she was PM. You do know that she totally believes that ‘child abuse is woven into the fabric of Britain’ like a ‘stick of Blackpool rock’ so don’t expect any let up in the number of people subjected to lengthy investigations as a result of expensive fishing expeditions by the police, under Theresa May.

Michael Gove? Difficult to avoid the House of Cards allusions which have now been done to death – but after he’d knifed his bestest fwend the Prime Minister in the back by changing his mind about supporting ‘Remain’, he knifed his new best fwend in ‘Leave’ in the back ‘cos his wife said so…the rest of the continent will die laughing if that overgrown schoolboy is put in charge of the country. Whatever voices are in his head telling him that he is the right person to lead the country are unutterably wrong….hopefully.

Andrea Leadsom? A former City Banker who finds ‘big bonuses unacceptable’, but doesn’t want to release her tax returns just yet… Her main claim to qualification for the job is that she was a prominent ‘Leave’ campaigner. A woman with many fingers in off-shore banking affairs, and tax minimising – I thought we wanted to see an end to a life controlled by bankers, and people who find it ‘convenient’ to run their affairs through off-shore companies? Seems the desire to have someone in charge of the country who was always committed to ‘out’ is prepared to overlook these details…I’m not.

Liam Fox? Oh for pity’s sake! Have we forgotten that a mere five years ago, Cameron had to step in to stop the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Affairs starting an inquiry into the man? It was only the fact that Liam resigned that stopped a full scale scandal breaking out – and to this day, we don’t know precisely what it was that he had done. Then there is his appalling record on over-claiming expenses. Are we saying we don’t care about any of that, we would be proud to live in a country headed by such a man?

Vote Stephen Crabb – get Sajid Javid in charge of the Treasury, whether he’s the best man for the job or not! Apart from that, the fact that he supported Remain, and a minor expenses scandal, I don’t see too much against him. He’s not a Banker, not a Bullingdon Boy, not a bullshitter. It comes to something when the only person you could possibly support as someone to represent the country, is in that position because of all the things that he isn’t….

Would I have supported Nigel Farage, had he been in a position to stand? Nope.

Boris Johnson? Yes. Lots of faults, but at least we would have had something to laugh about – there’s nothing funny about the position we are in today.

Pygmies, the lot of them.

Who else out of the 650, of any hue, would you honestly say you would be proud to send forth into the world as the leader of Great Britain?

“I thought we wanted to see an end to a life controlled by bankers, and people who find it ‘convenient’ to run their affairs through off-shore companies?”

No, I think we just wanted an end to hypocrisy – people who rail against banking practices while secretly using them. I’m pretty sanguine about people’s own financial affairs, so long as they aren’t denying the same options to me.

If it had to be be any of that 650, and only them: Dr Sara Wollaston MP? She has real world experience, but maybe not enough of economic/international affairs. With deputy of Caroline Lucas (she talks sense on social issues even if we can’t afford her environmental idealism). But that’s only if I HAD to choose.

I have a lot of respect for any doctor, NHS or otherwise -until they prove otherwise at any rate.My liver would not have survived a medical degree. I have little time for anyone who spouts the pseudo science of the Third Reich and thinks their job is to make us , the laity, ‘healthy’ whether we want it or not or uses The Children to curtail our civil liberties.

She’s a doctor. I’m sure she reads the evidence and makes her own decisions. Protecting children is part of her job. I have used the NHS extensively – with an AIDS diagnosis you get to meet a lot of specialists – and I have always found they will err on the side of caution, even when I am telling them to stuff it. It’s their job.

Leadsom is IMHO the best of a poor bunch but at least you know where she stands which is more than you can say of Saint Theresa. There is something of Thatcher about her on the way she handles questions but of course that is a good or bad thing depending on your view of Mrs T.

My good friends Tebbitt (a neighbour) and Redwood (an ex-neighbour) seem to agree with me and that’s who I’m routing for. I was going to say 17 million people can’t be wrong but it seems millenials (dreadful expression for people who can’t understand 48% is a minority!) disagree with me and think I should be exterminated. Then again millions voted Hitler in and they were wrong.

It’s a right royal mess isn’t it? We need to get on and move on – and sooner rather than later…

Stephen Crabb’s school band, so Radio 4, used to do covers of “Sanctuary” by the Cult -seems like a good enough reason to appoint him to me…mind you I thought Cameron listening to ‘Eton Rifles’ was a good sign.

Uhm you mean the meat lovingly rubbed with salt by dusky Spanish peasant boys and farmers daughters who spend their entire days extracting fluids from meat? If that’s the cure then sign me up for the illness.

Crabb was a solid ‘Remainer’, has ‘got God’ in a big way, dare not be honest about his views on gays, has not yet learnt to stand close enough to the razor in a morning and, to make matters even worse, has a French wife who works for a shady outpost of the French Government charged with propagating Frenchness around the world, even in Cardiff of all places. Taken together, that condemns the man to eternal damnation and certainly not any leading role in our government – he makes Scientologists look normal.

I reckon David Davis should have another go. Beaten by Cameron in the last leadership battle (some say in very dubious circumstances by Cameron supporters, which involved raising the temperature of the conference hall during lunchtime so the Party members, having had their fill of a generous lunch with wine and liqueurs, nodded off during Davis’ speech. Upon waking, not having any idea what Davis said, simply voted for the bloke they did listen to. Of course, this is all supposition and rumour, but then you know politicians!). If he does stand again, suggest he makes his speeches in the fresh air.

I share you disappointment that David Davis chose not to stand this time – he’s a very thoughful bloke, certainly not the traditional Tory type, having many libertarian views. I was more disappointed to see his name appear today on the list of Theresa May supporters – one may surmise that an offer of the vacated Home Secretary job could have swung it.

Nicola Sturgeon is not an MP, but an MSP. So would she be eligible for the job? And she “hates Britain”? Since Scotland is part of Britain, that would be most odd – if it were true. Still, at least you didn’t conflate “England” with “UK”, like so many.

I did say ‘Jeremy Vine says’, however I was using ‘Britain’ as a synonym for the ‘UK’ as the British Broadcasting Corporation backs any side but the ‘British’, e.g. Argentina, IRA, EU and breakup the UK nationalists.

(Does the PM have to be in parliament? Certainly ministers don’t have to be MPs, some being fast-tracked into the HoL).

dressed as the reincarnation of Sir Nicholas Fairbairn (remember him?) Yes Anna you earn the soubriquet of the Valerie Perrin of Prose ….this one joins my favorites of ‘man flu’ Milliband and the horse meat eating classes

I’m a conservative, but I would go for Kate Hoey, Frank Field or Graham Stringer. If you put a shotgun to my head, for a Conservative candidate, maybe David Davies (Haltemprice and Howden), which is where my wife came from.

Raab and David Davies, two good men, Kate Hoey a fine upstanding lady – without doubt she could do the job and well.

The big problem really is Westminster, its legislature and executive and the ridiculous irrelevant party political faux split. Parliament is, unaccountable and thus with a demographic alteration literally and metaphorically changing the nation, so too does Westminster becomes diminished, and ever further sidelined as each week passes. UK political divisions, there are few actual Tories and Labour voters ‘remaining’. The nation divides into an altogether different factionalism and with a very clear ethno-religious schism; it’s them and us alright but nothing to do with historical British sectarianism.

What needs to happen, is that the electorate needs to realign, not behind Tory and Labour – no they’re gone. Here’s where Leadsom, Rees Mogg, Raab, David Davies and such could meet with Hoey, Field and UKIP and form a new political alliance which speaks for + 17.4 million people. An alliance, which will hand power back to the people, by giving back responsibility to the individual and cutting big state, crony capitalism = Statism, give the money back – leave it up to the individual and bring an end to open checkbook universal welfarism and that would help in part to solve the other problem.

The result of decades of living under the shadow of the EU, where all decisions are made from above: only those who were happy to play with the politics dressing up box bothered. Anyone of substance was either Nigel Farage, had a proper job or emigrated.

It would be a pity if, having voted out, all our ‘leaders’ sat around waiting for the EU to tell them what to do.

If Remain had won with 52% then the 48% would definitely be ignored, or rather continue to be ignored. I cannot see anything but a fudge, a pretence, where Britain remains to all intents and purposes within the EU. As they play for time world events could well overtake them.

From what little I’ve seen of Andrea Leadsom, you get the strong impression that if she went into a negotiation with the EU she would be resolutely standing up for the interests of Britain and the British. The other candidates on the other hand, well, it would depend…

In that sense Leadsom is reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher. Her business experience is a bonus, and would at least avoid the sorts of schoolboy howlers committed by financially illiterate political leaders of the recent past. A ‘freeze on energy prices’, promised shortly before an oil price collapse, is a good example.

What does that even mean? Are you seriously suggesting that a perceived decline in standards in the HoC is down to the ‘parasitoid EU’? If so, can you explain by what process this might have taken place? If your milk was sour in the a.m., would you also blame the EU?

Parasitoid: see interwebs. Essentially a parasite that kills its host. Like one of those maggots that eats a caterpillar from inside. The caterpillar continues to walk around while being consumed, but when it comes to the time for it to metamorphose and fulfill its life’s purpose as caterpillars should it no longer can. In the case of our dear HoC, it appeared to be business as normal until two weeks ago, when the plebs voted wrong. Our MPs have become so used to all real power being with the EU that they are now incapable of effective government when that effective government is needed. I also suspect that some (e.g. Cammeron, Osbourn), actually believe that their role should be to further the ends of the EU, even over the interests of the country. Process: Group think? Bubble politics? Common Purpose? Who knows? But you can observe the effect… Soured milk I would probably blame on lactobacillus, but I would blame the EU for food and milk prices being higher than they should be, because of the CAP and tariff barriers on imports from outside the EU.

“but I would blame the EU for food and milk prices being higher than they should be, because of the CAP and tariff barriers on imports from outside the EU.”

Agree with you on that point. CAP and similar polices are also a disgracefully unfair barrier to trade against farmers in developing countries. A matter the likes of Geldof and Bono are notably silent on in their campaigns for debt relief in relation to developing countries.

I was impressed with Leadsom in the debates and I think she would be ok. Not sure about May she might steady things though. I still don’t see why Cameron had to resign when he said he wouldn’t, but then if his previous negotiations has been just a bit more successful he would have won. That’s what convinced me that there was no hope of reform in the EU.

If stuck with Mrs. May as P.M. we must be, then, yes, Mrs. Leadsom would be the obvious choice as Chancellor. But I’d rather see a Brexiteer — other than Mr. Gove — as P.M.; rather narrows the choice, dunnit?

“We send the EU £350 million a week let’s fund the NHS instead. Vote leave. Let’s take back control.”

Quoting the gross contribution allowed the ‘remain’ campaign to muddy the waters with talk of ‘rebates’ and ‘EU funding’ so it would have been safer to stick with the net contribution, (but that ignores the lack of control over where that funding is spent), but ‘they’ didn’t say all of the contribution would go to the NHS. ‘They’ aren’t the government anyway. Worse still was Nigel Farage tacking flack for this, (several times in the EU parliament debate), as it wasn’t his slogan anyway.

Jim, it would have been quite acceptable to use £270-million (sc. the amount net of the Thatcher rebate): the figure would have been justified and campaigners would have been able to point out that, although £80-million comes back hypothecated, the U.K. still makes a weekly net contribution to what the E.U. arrogantly calls ‘Own Resources’ of £190-million.

Unfortunately even the former Chancellors of the Exchequer on the team did nothing to correct the error — which must surely have been as obvious to them as to me and every-one else — and it came close to losing the British side the whole economic argument. (I agree with Lord King: it could never be honestly described as a debate.)

MM. Elliott and Cummings were patently not men of integrity; had the E.U. side won, the British side would have had only itself to blame for not firing them.

Problem most of us have is that we don’t know these people. We only know what we’re told, and given the partisan nature of most forms of media, much of it seems worthless. Is May’s survival despite lack of achievement because that’s the best anyone could achieve? Is Gove’s alleged naughtiness when young not worthy of comment against contemporary values; likewise his opportunistic execution of Boris, which he claims was for country? None of them seem likeable, but they’re not there to be liked, they’re there to do a job. Which is to run the country, deal capably with whatever crap pops up, and sort out Brexit without giving away the terrific advantage we have over the EU (in my opinion). It seems unlikely that some Remainer lately converted by the opportunity of office is going to have the drive and vision we need, or the will to appoint & drive the ministers who will get the jobs done.

Rather the opposite, tdf. “Although I’m a supporter of integration,” Herr Schäuble is saying, “now is not the time. We cannot, in an atmosphere of growing populism and Euro-scepticism, simply push ahead with it as hitherto”.

I guess Britain is too big for him to bully around. I really wish I had time to translate the whole article for you because you seem to be labouring under some heavy duty “misunderstandings” (It’s late and I’m being charitable). You seem to have gotten totally the wrong end of the stick about Schäubi and also seem somewhat deluded about Britain’s stature .

And judging by the news today that , suddenly, national parliaments may decide over CETA it would seem that Schäuble’s words about returning power to the States inorder to solve the problems of the EU have hit home.

To clarify, I’m a Remainer, not a Brexiter, and am certainly not, and never have been, in the Bojo fan club.

I have – perhaps unfairly – hitherto formed an impression of Schauble as being a key figure in what I see as bullying of smaller nations in the EU and particularly the Eurozone – Greece, Portugal, to some extent Ireland.

I’m inclined to agree that Brexiters do tend to overstate Britain’s influence in world affairs. We are in 2016, not 1916, or even 1956. That said, the UK does still have a key role in geo-politics, with regard to things like the ‘special relationship’ with the US, ‘Five Eyes’, NATO, etc.

an impression of Schauble as being a key figure in what I see as bullying of smaller nations in the EU and particularly the Eurozone – Greece

First off sorry for assuming you were a BREXITer (Like i said it is late and had I bothered to think abit more I would have recalled your earlier comments). Secondly think of Schäuble as your Dad, what loves you dearly but who also happens to be the local Bank Manager and there is no way in hell he is going to let you use his credit card or lend you his car keys….no matter how much Mummy Merkel wants him to (although she knows he is right).

Infact Tdf the only thing Schäuble says in that entire article that you might take issue with is about Bojo:

Journo: Herr Schäuble, if you were to interview Bojo today, what would your very first question to him be?

Schäuble: My question would be; “Mr Johnson how can it be that you obviously have absolutely no plan as to how to go about the Brexit?” (Translator’s note: the tone of that in German is beyond scathing, no German reading it will be in any doubt about Schäuble’s opinion of Boris)

Journo: What would he reply in your opinion?

Schäuble: By now even he has realised that he doesn’t have answer to that question. That’s why he’s backed off. I have never met the man but the way he conducted the campaign was not what I understand under the terms ‘serious’ and ‘responsible’. (NB the tone of the German has just gone to DEFCON 3). He and his camp fed the campaign with so many exaggerations and even lies that it left me speechless.

For a politician, of whatever nation, to speak thus candily is unusual ….the more so for Schäuble who, despite his Tebbit image, is a very mild and gentle man , about as far from a bully as you can get, whose honesty is pathological.

Although Herr Schäuble mentions exaggerations made by the British campaign (mainly to do with the £350-million figure mentioned earlier), they were made on both sides (especially in what became known as ‘Project Fear’). The biggest problem on the British side — apart from that ridiculous £350-million per week pushed by MM. Elliott and Cummings — was not so much exaggeration as the patent lack of any policy planning for the period beyond the date of the plebiscite!

Herr Schäuble’s message is aimed more at other governments across the E.U. than at the U.K. — in particular the French — and at convincing them of the folly of ignoring the resistance of their own peoples to further integration.

I think you’re right about Herr Schäuble’s being part of the ‘German bully gang’; on the other paw, I have some sympathy with Germany as the payer of the piper.

Britain’s biggest problem now is that her economy is — and for the next two months at least — in the hands of a Prime Minister, a Chancellor of the Exchequer and a central-bank governor each of whom has a personal interest in the failure of the British economy! We are already seeing many manifestations of their and others’ promoting this objective.

It’s often said that ‘the markets hate uncertainty’. Rubbish! Uncertainty causes volatility; the markets love uncertainty because the associated volatility is where profit lies.

Which Herr Schäuble does also admit to playing a part in (as I said the honesty of the man is , for any politician, almost unheard of). He says that George Osborne ‘expressly asked me come to London and strengthen the Remain campaign’ by making clear that ‘out was out’.

BTW an earlier comment of mine is slightly inaccurate, Herr Schäuble isn’t arguing so much for power to be returned to National governments but rather that National governments , in some way, circumvent the Commission by sorting thing out between themselves.

I don’t consider his going to London and saying, e.g., that ‘out is out’ in any way exaggerative: just reasonable. Moreover I don’t think it’s unreasonable to describe the £350-million — especially with the manifold divers ways the British side promised to spend it! — as a lie: it was. But in fact most national politicians in Europe, unlike the ‘Eurocrats’, were generally quite measured in their comments.

The exaggerations on the E.U. side were made by its own politicians and all those disingenuous academics, grant-funded businessmen and scientists (apparently unable, despite their presumed intelligence, to understand that the funding comes not from some sort of magic money orchard in Brussels but from British tax-payers) and, of course, ‘celebrities’.

(I discount the President: he and most of his party are well known as believers in one socialist World government.)

Perhaps, had Boris been less of a chancer and made up his mind he was on the British side early in 2015, he’d have organized a team to start talks with our partners around the World and we’d not have landed near the far end of the runway!

I don’t consider his going to London and saying, e.g., that ‘out is out’ in any way exaggerative: just reasonable

As do I but I get the feeling from the German of his comments that he is trying to distance himself from it somewhat. Not that he now thinks that ‘out’ might now not be ‘out’ nor does he want a 2nd referendum. I think he just slightly regrets allowing Osborne to misuse him and his personal, non political reputation a little -on matters fiscal there are few whose word carries as much weight worldwide as Schäuble’s.

I once thought Bojo had the makings, but no longer. I currently feel that any real courage has been leached from England’s politicians because they’re afraid of being called names and unfriended on Facebook by a bunch of left wing student activists.

tdf; there are degrees of courage. Vanity in politics is not courage, and there is vanity aplenty. The kind of courage that can grab hold of the reins of state and do the job in front of them without swerving for the catcalling of the crowd seems to be lacking, however.

I’m not too concerned about who leads out parties on a day to day basis. My concern is if there is some real major disaster, such a WW3 breaking out, where is the potential leader who might come forward to lead and inspire the people as Churchill did in 1940? I just can’t think of anyone either within or outside politics who could command the respect of the people at large.

My thoughts exactly. I suspect that rather than provide leadership the political/media class would rather be looking for someone else to blame. There must be someone out there who is capable but in the present climate they are unwilling to stick their head above the parapet. I genuinely fear for the future, particularly when the professional middle classes realise that politics is not just something that is done to other people.

You are of course 100% correct. I suspect that there are millions of people out there capable of providing the required leadership. I suspect there are literally tens of millions of people who could hold down the job of PM at least as well, or a damned site better than most of PM’s weve seen in recent history

The fundemental problem is they wouldnt be allowed to by their political peers, imagine having to work with the likes of Tom Watson

Furthermore, they wouldnt be allowed to by the media, and last but not least, they wouldnt be allowed to by the electorate 95% of whom take absolutely no interest in these matters, until of course a decision thats been taken adversely affects them

I hate to say it, but the UK is getting precisely what it wants, and what it deserves.

Unfortunately most of the current political class have sloping shoulders and no responsibility will attach to them. Mrs May has somehow acquired a reputation as a good Home Secretary despite serious failures over immigration and border control. As I type this someone is on the radio praising May for cutting back on the police use of stop and search. At the same time there seem to be daily stabbings reported in London. Napoleon would have made her a marshal on the basis of the good luck she has enjoyed, her skill and competence I feel will have to be tested. I fear that the next crisis to hit our country whatever it is will show that our current crop of politicians are lacking in that old fashioned quality called ‘bottom’.

I am sure Britain will be well-served by the two candidates that the con-men MP’s serve up-cough, cough, choke.

The field now seems to be down to Gove, May and Leadsom. Purely on the basis that Leadsom has done the least damage up to this point I would support her, I would not be too disappointed with Gove, should May be elected there will be no Brexit her well documented negotiating skills being on par to the camoron’s.

Meanwhile liebour goes full Venezuela, death threats and all. Strange that Twatson can detect faux child abuse everywhere but real, life threatening nowhere. UKIP is leaderless, limpdems are pointless. A Cromwell moment is needed.

Still look on the bright side Cam Force 1 is delivered, the finest British engineering, an existing refuelling plane, 10 million quid for 58 seats!!! You are going to have trading partners beating down your doors for deals when they realize how gullible you are.

In the bulls-eye, Anna, with your usual aplomb (once you had convinced yourself that Leaving was the right course, of course!)

But I bet you didn’t see vaccination and abrogation of responsibility on such a huge scale, right when we NEED to show strong leadership to the rest of the world. Pound is plummeting, on the news of Brexit (a horrible word) but hastened by the ‘Fiddle While Rome Burns’ machinations of our political classes. The vultures are circling, and all our lot can do is play the fool.

Cameron, the architect of Brexit stands accused of leaving the Wheelhouse while the SS Parliament steams inexorably towards the large iceberg, surmounted with a large, blue EU flag. Corbyn footling about in the Engine Room of the ship of state is obdurately refusing to take his hand off the engine room telegraph and go on deck, while all around him the oilers and stokers shout curses at him and tell him he isn’t fit to lead a tea dance. Farage has pinched a lifeboat and is rowing like hell… Curiously, he is rowing TOWARD the EU iceberg, not away, but then again for him, there is a place reserved for him to dip his nose into the trough. And Boris standing on the Bridge wing is suddenly heaved overboard by Gove.